Gardenia Plaza

The sewer smell and dirty pools were bad enough, but the rooms were also handed out to different people, and we ended up in a room that seemed like a second choice. Water ran for only two hours a day, the reception was hot with no air conditioning, and the customer service was even worse. This was easily my worst summer experience. I’d never return, even for free. If there were a rating below one star, this place would deserve it.

The beach was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. It was okay, and probably the only decent part of the stay. The resort itself was dirty, with mosquitoes keeping me from sleeping, a nonworking main pool, and no real hotel service. I hardly saw staff or room service, struggled to find drinking water, and there was no coffee at breakfast. The food was a whole other problem. Breakfast wasn’t good enough for a hotel, the taste and quality were poor, and the restaurant wasn’t clean. Dinner was disgusting. I wouldn’t recommend this place for even one night.

The rooms were okay, nothing special, and I’m not sure they’re worth paying for. The bakery was probably the only food I could bear, since everything else tasted like what I imagine dog food would be like. There were awful mosquito problems and no pest control. Reception was incredibly rude and uncooperative, and I couldn’t tell if the staff had even the basic training for normal interactions. I only stayed because it was free. I feel like I need therapy to get over the traumatic experience. If hell had a hotel, this would be it.

The beach has so many rocks that you need shoes in the water, and the shuttle only runs from 10 AM to 4 PM, right through the harshest sun. The rooms aren’t furnished well, and the food tastes ordinary, with nothing special about it. The aqua park was no fun, just three short slides. It was the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had.